Soccer: Crew gets midfielder, 1st-round pick from L.A.

Wednesday

Jan 15, 2014 at 12:01 AMJan 15, 2014 at 9:46 AM

The Crew has added at least one more piece that fits into Gregg Berhalter's vision for the club. Ten days before the start of preseason practice and two days before the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, the Crew acquired midfielder Hector Jimenez and a first-round draft pick (14th overall) from the Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for its second-round pick (23rd overall) and an undisclosed amount of allocation money.

Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch

The Crew has added at least one more piece that fits into Gregg Berhalter’s vision for the club. Ten days before the start of preseason practice and two days before the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, the Crew acquired midfielder Hector Jimenez and a first-round draft pick (14th overall) from the Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for its second-round pick (23rd overall) and an undisclosed amount of allocation money.

The move, which comes one day after the Crew sent the fourth overall pick and more allocation money to New England for defender Michael Parkhurst, gives coach and sporting director Berhalter both a player he has been tracking and a chance to add to his team’s depth in the draft.

“I feel like he’s the type of player that we’re looking for: very technical player, good transition speed, good quickness, he likes to combine with other players,” Berhalter said of Jimenez. “It was a good opportunity to get a guy that wasn’t getting the game time with the Galaxy and get a person to help our team out.”

Jimenez can play on both sides of the midfield but Berhalter said he stretches defenses more when he’s on the right side. That role was primarily filled by Dominic Oduro last season, and the move means the team’s leading scorer could see more time at his preferred forward position.

According to figures provided by the MLS players’ union, Jimenez made $46,500 in guaranteed compensation last season. He was a rookie on the Galaxy’s roster when both Berhalter and Crew brand ambassador Frankie Hejduk were in their final seasons as players.

“We had a good relationship when we were playing together,” Berhalter said. “As a rookie, he was very professional and played with a good head on his shoulders.”

The Crew received allocation money when it traded Chad Marshall to Seattle in mid-December. Berhalter said the amount sent out in the Crew’s past two trades is nearly what the team received from the Sounders.

The move will bring the Crew’s roster to 29 once Parkhurst’s International Transfer Certificate is received. It also means the Crew is likely done looking for outside midfielders, Berhalter said.